[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 132 (Monday, September 28, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.

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 DEDICATION OF A WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL HONORING THE POW/MIAS OF WHITE 
                           COUNTY, TENNESSEE

 Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, on Sunday, September 20th, I 
traveled to Sparta, TN, to deliver remarks at the dedication of a 
memorial honoring the brave Americans from White County, Tennessee who 
were prisoners of war or missing in action during World War II. I ask 
that my remarks be printed in the Record.

 Dedication of a World War II Memorial Honoring the POW/MIAS of White 
                           County, Tennessee

       It is an honor and a special privilege for me to 
     participate in the dedication of this memorial to the World 
     War II POWs and MIAs of White County. To each and every one 
     of them--those who died, and those we are blessed to still 
     have with us--we owe an unending debt of love, respect, and 
     gratitude for the sacrifice they made, the pain they 
     suffered, and the trauma they endured to ensure that the 
     flame of freedom would never be extinguished.
       Their wounds, and the wounds of their families, are ones 
     that do not close easily with the passage of time. Rather, 
     they abide as long as even one missing American remains 
     unaccounted for. And so, we must not only remember, but re-
     dedicate ourselves to the accounting of every last American 
     serviceman from Korea, and Viet Nam and, yes, even World War 
     II, for America can never move forward by leaving even one 
     missing son behind.
       Many of you here today were their comrades-in-arms--in 
     Italy and France; in Germany and Japan. You fought the same 
     battles. You flew the same missions. You sacrificed for the 
     same noble cause. All of you were different. You came from 
     different states and different backgrounds, but you shared 
     one thing in common: you loved America; you were willing to 
     die for freedom.
       And so, to you also, we offer our love, our thanks, and our 
     promise that we will never forget not only those who died and 
     those who returned, but those who fate is still unknown.
       And we promise to remember something more: We promise to 
     remember that peace is a fragile thing; that strength is the 
     only way to avoid war; and that freedom is always just one 
     generation away from extinction.
       If we remember those things, no future American generation 
     will be required, as you were, to place themselves in harm's 
     way to secure for their posterity the benefits and blessings 
     of freedom.
       Before I close, I'd like to mention one last thing, and 
     that's my thanks to the American Legion who has stood 
     steadfast and determined in the fight to account for every 
     American from every war who is still a prisoner or missing in 
     action.
       I thank them for that, and all the other sponsors of 
     today's ceremony. May this marker we dedicate today, forever 
     guard the memory of those who are gone; salute the courage of 
     those who returned, and stand like a beacon of hope for every 
     American whose homecoming we still await.
       God bless you, and God bless the United States of 
     America.




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